There is almost no better way to teach a horse to be more quick thinking over fences than to practice bounce fences. Try to incorporate them into ALL of your jumping training situations, not just in gymnastic lines. Even though you will not see a bounce combination on a show jumping course at a competition, putting them up in your course work at home will sharpen up your horse!
"After each down transition that was well absorbed by the hindquarters the rider's hand has to yield by uncoiling the wrist so that the front legs can advance by a foot in order to relieve the haunches of their acute flexion, which they cannot maintain, and to reduce the weight that is placed on them. If the rider does not allow that, the horse is forced to take a step backwards with his hind legs in order to keep his balance, and that is a mistake." ~ E.F.Seidler
Think of that girth tight against your horse's side… after a while he tunes that out and barely notices it. The same will happen with your legs if they are always tightly clamped on his sides.
"When you have finished your training session, give the horse the rein and go out on the road for a walk. Half an hour, up and down. Give the horse this hard ground and you will get strong hooves, good joints, strong tendons and a healthy horse." ~ Gerd Heuschmann
"Dressage is not an easy sport, there are so many variations, but the reaction to your leg, and straightness, are so important. You just don’t see top Grand Prix riders kicking or straining for a result. Don’t tease him, tap there so quick he doesn’t know it is coming. Everything in a horse’s life should be black and white, not grey." ~ Debbie McDonald
In the process of training horses, it is almost always more difficult and time consuming to go back later to fill in holes in their foundation, than it is to just take the time to do things correctly in the first place.
"We must always remember that the horse, by its anatomy, is not meant to carry weight. Therefore the most important task after getting him used to the saddle is getting him used to the weight of the rider. The horse needs enough time for that. It is better to train five times a week for ten to twenty minutes than three times a week for half an hour. The horse may develop muscle soreness which can take a long time to disappear. It is especially important during this period of his training that the horse has the opportunity to enjoy some free movement out in the paddock." ~ Susanne Miesner
A few strides of lengthening or medium here and there in whatever gait you are working in will add energy to that gait. You can then turn that energy into engagement with a half halt or downward transition.
From Facebook Fan Gabby Ballin ~ "Some rides are going to be perfect. Some rides are going to have you wondering why you don't quit riding. When that happens, take a deep breath and go back to something you know you and your horse can do easily."
"To reach a major aim the rider needs many small aims. Following them, they can check whether they are on the right track. Every stepping stone builds on the previous one. If one is missing and the rider continues regardless they will take the problem with them until one day the whole thing falls apart. As in the primary school, if the student doesn’t pass his first exam or is not considered mature enough, he will not be promoted to second class hoping he can make it there. It is the simple but basic things that need the most work." ~ Susanne Miesner
"The back is the bridge in the horse, and it can only be there if the hind leg is really working. The rider has to influence the hind legs to build that bridge, otherwise it is a horse in three pieces, back, front and you somewhere in the middle." ~ Francis Verbeek
Horses are not actually "stiff in the jaw" when they resist your hand, even though that may be what it feels like. If the feeling in your hands makes you think that your horse is stiff in its jaw, then you need to look for the real cause of the problem, which is usually a braced, rigid back.
The strong willed type of horse WILL test you, many times for no reason other than they want to be top dog! But take solace in the fact that the most difficult horses are almost always the best ones in the end. Often because they are so damn SMART.
From Facebook fan Barbara Martin ~ "What happens on the ground is just as important as what goes on in the saddle. Make sure you are giving clear signals to your horse as to who is in charge. We forget this sometimes, I think!"
The movement of the half-pass helps to develop the brilliance of the extended trot, by increasing hip and stifle flexibility, and freeing up the horse's shoulders.
The main objectives of the warm up phase of riding is to loosen the horse's body (especially the back muscles) and ensure he is attentive to the rider's aids.
"It is wonderful to use the 'forward and down' stretching exercise as part of the daily work. We also must keep in mind a suitable balance between work and rest periods during any ride, and we need to schedule adequate days off work and days spent hacking outdoors. Physically tired or mentally soured horses don't learn much, other than ways of evading work." ~ Erik Herbermann
Riders should know where their horse is going to land from a jump before they take off. How? The type of canter in the final strides of the approach will dictate the shape of the horse's jumping effort, and the trajectory of the jump.
It can be helpful to make lots of little changes of frame in your warm-up… a little stretching, a little up, and repeat… This can help your horse to come more through his body.
"You are connected with your seat to the horse’s back, connected with your legs to the horse’s body, and connection can only work if it goes through the whole horse and into the rider’s body, and from the rider’s body back to the whole horse." ~ Susanne Miesner
Riders should be aware of the specific questions posed by each individual jump on course, and should not treat all jumps the same. Things that need to be taken into consideration are the shape of the jump, the footing, the terrain involved before and after the jump, the lighting, the kind of approach you are given, and what is on the landing side of the jump.
"Horses are not trying to be difficult. They’re probably just trying to understand and sometimes they don’t know how to do it, or they don’t get your signals. You have to learn a little bit every day, and when they do something correct, give them a lot of positive reinforcement to let them know that they’ve done it right." ~ Jessica Springsteen
"When the horse is forward, when the horse is using his hind leg more under the body and the neck falls down from out of the wither, then it doesn’t matter if the nose is a little behind the vertical if there is no pulling by the rider." ~ Johan Hamminga
It is NOT correct to try to raise the horse's neck or shoulders in any way with the reins. True front end elevation in Dressage comes only from real collection induced lowering of the hind quarters.
If you love your horse, teach him to have good manners, both on the ground and under saddle. A horse with good manners is more likely to end up in a good home if the unexpected happens.
FAR too many riders bend the horse's neck when asked for more bend. That is not what we want! We want bend in the horse's ribcage. Which is achieved by asking for a hint of a lateral step with the rider's inside leg, into the connection of the outside rein.
